Book Stats
- Book 1 of the Moonfall series
- Publication Date: 04/02/24
- Publisher: Avon
- Format: ebook
- Chapters: 89 chapters, with 1 prologue & 1 epilogue
- Pages: 576
- Narrator POV: 1st person, primarily from Raeve’s POV; several chapters from Kaan’s POV, a few from Veya and The Other’s POVs, and 1 from Rekk Zharos’s POV. Also a few diary entries throughout, from Elluin’s POV.
Book Rating
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/ 5
Summary & Review
Alright, well we immediately learn that this world has magic and dragons. That’s enough to immediately pull me into any story. 😊 Right off the bat, we learn about the 3 different types of dragons:
| Species | Location | Hatching Ground | Traits | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabersythes | The Burn (hot & sunny) | Gondragh | black and bronze and ruddy scales; covered in scales and spikes, with heavily tusked faces; cannot survive long bouts in the cold | ferocious, aggressive, and boisterous |
| Moltenmaws | The Fade (in between The Burn and The Shade) | Bhoggith | honed beaks and sharp claws; vibrant, colorful feathers; breathe fire | less volatile than Sabersythes; the easiest to charm |
| Moonplumes | The Shade (cold & dark) | Netheryn | luminous, leathery skin in shades of pearl, white, gray, or iridescent; cold to the touch; long silky tails; cannot survive long bouts in the sun | ethereal and cunning |
One unique fact about the dragons in this story is that at the end of their lives, they sail into the sky, curl into balls, and calcify. They become moons.
Though sometimes the moons fall and the dragons shatter. This causes some severe damage to the areas where they fall. It’s also heartbreaking.
Along with the dragons, we also get to immediately learn about the powers in this world, which stem from the characters’ ability to hear and wield the elemental songs of the ancient creators. These folks are known as Elementals, of which there are 4 types:
| Creator | Power | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Ignos | Fire | Red |
| Rayne | Water | Blue |
| Clode | Air | Clear |
| Bulder | Earth | Brown |
** It’s important to note that many powerful individuals can hear more than one elemental song. There can be dual-beaded or tri-beaded individuals **
Based on the culture, the colorful Elemental beads are either displayed by wearing in ears, weaving into hair, or fastening to clothes. But they are expected to always be displayed.
We also have Nulls, who don’t hear any of the elemental songs and are marked with a clipped ear.
I was immediately drawn in to this story. Right away, we meet Raeve, a member of Fíur du Ath, a rebellion against the corrupt crown. Raeve is an assassin for the rebellion and does a dang good job of taking out the trash.
However, she ends up getting into some trouble and is put on trial, where it’s decided she will be put to death.
We also have Kaan Vaegor, one of the 4 kings & who is known to be ruthless (like all the Vaegors). He’s on the hunt for moonshards while trying to heal from a tragic loss when he happens upon Raeve in the dungeon. He and his dragon save her from death, and then he and Raeve struggle to find some common ground. Their banter is 🔥 during the first part of this book. I loved it!
Throughout the story we also get some journal entries from Elluin, a princess who experiences much loss as well as love and friendship. We get just bits and pieces of her life, as told through her journal entries.
By the end of this book, when things start really coming together, it’s just so well done. I had a blast reading this one and getting to know all the characters and their tragic backstories. 🖤
Some of my favorite quotes:
- She’s growing on me. I hate when folk grow on me.
- If my brother hadn’t kept her so sheltered from the world, perhaps she wouldn’t have fallen in love with a fucking stone.
- His gaze dips. “Your eye. What happened?”
“Tripped on a stone.”
His head banks to the side. “Did it reach up and punch you in the face?”
I offer him a faux smile. “Strangest thing.” - “Yeah, sure. I’m just itching to get drawn and quartered or served to the Moltenmaws on a stick.” Said nobody ever.
- Like it’s somehow his fault I possess a brain that thinks, a mouth that speaks, but lack the self-preservation to avoid using both while standing in their presence.
- I frown, wishing he wouldn’t stuff my indiscretions in my face like that. He smelled good. I fucked up. Let’s not dwell on it.
- Around him . . . sometimes words just feel inadequate.
- Hindsight. My least favorite way to learn.
- “Look me in the eye, sharpen those words, and don’t fucking blink as you plunge them through my heart.”
- When has following somebody into a dark tunnel to the words of “it’s just down here” ever been a good idea?
- “And if you die there, will you have any regrets?”
“Perhaps.” He shrugs. “But I’d be dead.” - “Okay, well, you’re obviously feeling things—”
“Regrettably.”
“Do you want to fight or fuck about it?”
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